Global medallists Ikeda and Kawano on Japanese team for Antalya

A 20-strong team, featuring global medallists Koki Ikeda and Masatora Kawano, has been named to represent Japan at the World Athletics Race Walking Team Championships Antalya 24 on 21 April.

Both Ikeda and Kawano have been selected for the marathon race walk mixed relay, which involves teams of one male and one female athlete who will complete the marathon distance in four legs of approximately equal distance.

The exact teams are yet to be announced but the six athletes named for the relay are Olympic and world silver medallist Ikeda, two-time world medallist Kawano, multiple national champion Nanako Fujii, world 35km race walk seventh-place finisher Serena Sonoda, Kumiko Okada and Kazuki Takahashi.

Ikeda led Japan to team gold in the men’s 20km race walk at the World Race Walking Team Championships in Taicang in 2018, becoming his nation’s first 20km winner in the history of the championships. He went on to claim individual and team silver in Muscat in 2022.

This time Japan’s men’s 20km team features Ryo Hamanishi, Yuta Koga, 2018 World Race Walking Team Championships bronze medallist Satoshi Maruo, world sixth-place finisher Tomohiro Noda and Kento Yoshikawa. The women’s 20km team includes Asian Race Walking Championships silver medallist Masumi Fuchise, Yukiko Umeno and Ayane Yanai, who claimed world U20 10,000m race walk bronze in 2022.

Japanese team for Antalya

Women
20km:  Masumi Fuchise, Yukiko Umeno, Ayane Yanai
U20 10km: Suzuka Kuge, Suzu Okuno, Sumika Tani

Men
20km: Ryo Hamanishi, Yuta Koga, Satoshi Maruo, Tomohiro Noda, Kento Yoshikawa
U20 10km: Sotaro Osaka, Yuki Shimoda, Taisei Yoshizako

Mixed
Team relay: Nanako Fujii, Koki Ikeda, Masatora Kawano, Kumiko Okada, Serena Sonoda, Kazuki Takahashi